For the Love of Swan
by Carlet
Summary: "She was without oxygen for six minutes. So there's a chance Emma won't wake up." When Emma is shot, all she knows and loves is now all a blur. But will the love she and Hook once shared be enough to bring everything back? Or will this be end to their happy ending?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: A twist on the whole memory loss thing, takes place after Neverland. Special thanks to the amazing MonkeyLovr for all her help. **

**Disclaimer: As usual I don't own anything. **

Chapter 1

Three am was an oddly quiet hour in the normally busy building that consisted of Storybrooke's hospital. There was nothing to do, nothing to distract himself with other than the cup of oily coffee he'd procured from the vending machine not far from where he currently paced. Idly, he considered topping off the dark beverage with a few drops from his flask, but drinking in this situation didn't sit right with him. He swirled his cup, trying to focus on something other than the events of the past several hours.

Outside the dirty window, the town was dark. All he could see was numerous dark houses that unquestionably consisted of sleeping bodies, cuddled in their beds at home with their loved ones. Several hours ago, that had been her.

"Hook!" Came a loud, frantic voice from the other end of the hallway.

Hook looked up sharply at the sound of his name to see Mary Margaret and David rushing breathlessly down the hall towards him, where he sat, eyes glued to the doors behind which Emma had disappeared into several hours ago.

As expected, they were full of nothing but questions.

"What happened?!" David demanded, hands already curled into fists. Although he and Hook had formed a tenuous friendship in Neverland, the fact that he'd gone immediately into protective father mode showed that their friendship could vanish in a split second.

Not that Hook could blame him; the mere thought of someone harming little Ava made his heart start to pound with anger. For a second he wished his daughter was here with him, in his arms, but the events of the day told him just how inept he was at protecting his loved ones.

It was better that Ava was safely with Granny and Ruby.

"I..." Hook began heavily, but found that he could not continue. Not without violently dispelling the contents of his stomach onto the waxy floors. "There was an intruder…" He said vaguely, but did not elaborate. "I'm not entirely sure myself, mate."

But he knew that this is a lie.

"You were the only one with her! You're telling me that you have no idea why my daughter is in there, fighting for her life right now?!" David cried, gesturing wildly. He was leaning into Hook, who could feel the man's breath on his face.

"Aye." Slowly, Hook backed up. "I don't know much more than you…"

Lie.

David looked as though he was about to say something more, maybe sink his fist deep into the pirate's stomach, but thought better of it and sank heavily into a chair.

"How long has she been in there for?" Mary Margaret asked. Unsurprisingly, her eyes were full of unshed tears.

That, at least, was a question he could answer. "A couple hours."

A couple hours soon became several, which quickly increased until Hook stopped counting. The sun came up, the orange light cutting across the sky. All around town, people were waking up, making coffee, looking forward to another day. All except her.

The only saving grace was that Henry was at Regina's for the night. Hook had no idea what he would've done if the kid had been present.

The stark white of the floors burned his eyes. He'd been staring for too long at the too clean floors, breathing in the horrible antiseptic smell of the building. But it was an improvement over staring at the door, willing it to open with good news.

Around five, Mary Margaret got up to buy coffee. Hook remained motionless, glued to the sticky plastic chair. About an hour later, David went down to buy some breakfast, although none of them were very hungry. Hook still remained motionless, glued to the sticky plastic chair. Having someone to yell at would take away, at least temporarily, some of the guilt building up inside. Sitting around helplessly was not very desirable, but he forced himself to remain in the chair, hand smoothing against the sharp metal hook.

There was a prod to his side. "Hook?"

He jerked his head up to find Mary Margaret's concerned face staring down at him. "You should go get some food or something."

"I'm fine." He curtly brushed her off, and then immediately felt bad. "It's not me you should be worrying about."

Mary Margaret smiled sadly. "Blame the mother instinct. Who else do I have to care for right now?" Her gaze dropped down to his hands, which were knotted tightly together, and her face hardened. She turned away, burying her face in her husband's shoulder. Seconds later, the hall was full of sobs once more.

Without looking down, Hook knew immediately what had set Mary Margaret off. Blood. The blood that was still smeared around his finger tips, no matter how hard he'd scrubbed. The warm, sticky blood that had stained their white carpet a dark crimson color, coated his hands, and slowly seeped out of her as she lay gasping for breath in his arms.

Hours passed by in a blur. People passed by, faceless figures in the daze that Hook was in. He was exhausted, but the many cups of coffee pumped through his system with every heartbeat, forcing him to remain awake. He vaguely wondered what the others were in for, selfishly believing that none of their situations were as dire as hers. As the most well known couple in Storybrooke, naturally David and Mary Margaret attracted lots of questions. None that they could answer without bursting into tears or fists curling or faces hardening.

Around nine, the doors finally opened. A blond man came out, white coat splattered with red. Hook tried not to look at the dark color staining the bright white fabric, swallowing back the bile that burned the back of his throat.

Much like when they'd arrived at the hospital, Mary Margaret and David were full of questions.

"Dr. Whale. How is she?" Mary Margaret asked.

Hook could immediately see that there was no point in asking. Whale's face was drawn in a way that had nothing to do with fatigue. He refrained from saying so, though, knowing full well that hope was the most important thing one could possess.

"She's out of surgery." He began. "You should sit." He gestured to the plastic chairs that they'd been occupying for the last hours.

"We've sat enough. How is my daughter?" Mary Margaret demanded.

"As you may know, she received a gunshot wound to the chest. She coded about five minutes after she was brought into the ER." Whale began. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down.

"What the bloody hell does coded mean?" Hook cut in.

"It means her heart stopped. We were able to revive it before bringing her in for surgery. She was lucky enough that the bullet just nicked the artery. However…" He stopped, signing in such a way that seemed to cause his entire body to deflate.

"However what?" David growled. "This is my daughter's life we're talking about, Whale."

"She was without oxygen for six minutes. So there's a chance Emma won't wake up."

**Author's note: Of course, some blanks needa be filled in so next ch will have some flashbacks. Hope you enjoyed and plz dont hesitate to leave a review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Last day of winter break. Noooooo! **

Chapter 2

_Nine hours earlier_

_There was a creak. Not too loud to cause alarm, but just loud enough that his eyes flew open._

"_Emma." He reached across the bed to poke her side. "Wake up."_

"_Mmm…" She rolls over so that she's facing him. "Sleeping."_

"_Wake up." He repeated, tickling her side until her eyes open, blinking up at him in the darkness. "I heard something." He propped himself up on one elbow, staring down at her._

"_Probably just someone outside." She replied sleepily. "Go back to sleep, Hook."_

_Hook tried to shake the weird feeling building up inside as he lay back down on the cool pillow. She's had more experience in this world than him. If she said there's nothing to worry about, there probably isn't._

_But a second creak, quickly followed by another, caused her to sit up in bed, the covers a tangled mess around her. "Was that just me, or did you hear it too?"_

"_Not just you, love." Hook responded, half relieved that he hadn't been overly paranoid._

_Another loud creak._

_In the dark, Hook could see her face screw up in concentration. "I think that's coming from the kitchen."_

_He reached over to turn on a lamp, but a hand on his wrist stopped him. "Don't." She hissed. "The last thing we want to do is to draw attention to ourselves."_

"_Well what do you suggest we do then?" He asked, slightly annoyed. "Just sit here and let the thief rob us?"_

"_Hell no." Emma responded. In a fluid motion, she silently swings her legs over the side of the bed and slips her feet into a heavy pair of boots. "We sneak up on them." She rifled around and comes up with her gun. She tiptoed to the door, hand curling around the doorknob._

"_Wait." He said, seconds before she could open the door. "What're you doing?"_

"_What does it look like? Stopping the thief." Impatience flashed across her face._

"_But…" He didn't know exactly how to phrase his thoughts. "Isn't that a bit dangerous?" He finally settled on._

_Emma laughed quietly. Even in the dark, he could see the mirth flashing across her face. "Don't be ridiculous, Hook. This is Storybrooke we're talking about. There's no one dangerous."_

* * *

"No." Mary Margaret shook her head. "No. You don't know what you're saying. No."

"I'm sorry." Whale sighed.

Mary Margaret dissolved into sobs, burying her head in her husband's shoulder, as David looked as though he was about to empty the contents of his stomach over the too clean, antiseptic floor.

"Thank you." David managed to say.

Whale nodded. "You may go see her if you like." And then he disappeared down the hall, shiny shoes squeaking on the floor.

* * *

"There's a chance Emma won't wake up." Those words rang over and over in Hook's mind until he could neither see nor hear anything else.

His legs propelled him down the hall. He had no idea where he was going, just that he had to get away. A scream was building up in the back of his throat, bubbling up, a scream that he was dying to release.

Won't wake up.

Won't wake up.

Won't wake up.

His fault. This all his fault. Before he can stop himself, all of the horror, anger, rage, grief, and guilt is just too much, and it bubbles over the top, the result of which is his fist sinking deep into the wall, creating a large crater that cannot be fixed. There is a horrible, shrill, animalistic sound echoing around him.

A split second later, he realized that it had been him.

* * *

_Out of the corner of his eye, Hook watched as Neal approached Emma, boyish hope written all over his face as he clumsily attempted to ask out the woman he'd wronged in so many ways, yet still had the audacity to try and win back._

_It wasn't entirely a selfless act, of course. The pirate inside him was certain that Neal would fail, allowing Hook to swoop in and win her heart. He'd made certain inroads in Neverland, and with the right push he'd succeed._

_For a second, hot jealousy ripped through him as he wondered if he'd been right in allowing Neal a chance with Emma. It had been the right thing to do, something that his dearly departed brother would surely be proud of him for, but watching them together caused something to claw through him._

_For the lad. Hook reminded himself. You're doing this for the lad. He snuck a look at Henry, who was engrossed with the large book of fairytales Emma had just handed him. After everything the boy had been through in Neverland, the least Hook could do was allow him a chance to have his family together._

_His heart leaped involuntarily as he detected the familiar closed off feeling in her eyes. Despite the small smile on her face, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would not be showing up to lunch at Granny's tomorrow._

_A slow smile spread across his face. Soon he would have his swan._

* * *

David caught up to Hook, who was doubled up, his injured fist curled up against the soft fabric of his coat, a string of creative curses streaming out from his mouth, intermixed with groans of pain and raw emotion.

"Hook!" David gripped the pirate firmly, hoisting him up onto his feet. Hook's face is scrunched up tightly, a stark red color.

Hook only groans in response. He was muttering something incoherent, something that David strained to hear but could not decipher. All around them, people are openly staring and muttering to themselves, and it was only David's status as deputy that kept them at bay.

"Pull yourself together." David hissed. "You don't need security dragging you away."

"Don't...care." More incoherent muttering.

"I know you're upset." David attempted to get through to him. "But if you don't knock it off they're gonna kick you out. Or I'll be forced to arrest you. You're not gonna be able to see Emma."

At the sound of her name, he collapsed heavily, hitting the ground before David could keep him up any further.

"My fault." Hook moaned as he curled in the fetal position on the hard floor. "All my fault."

"What do you mean its your fault?" Mary Margaret, who had just approached, asked curiously.

Slowly, Hook sat up, back against the wall, his body sagging as though the wall behind him was the only thing keeping him upright. "I had the ability to stop all of this from happening, milady. But I didn't. And now Emma's in there." He gestured harshly with his hook. "Fighting for her life. And I caused it."

"That's not true!" Mary Margaret protested immediately. "I was just talking to the nurses earlier and from what they said you saved her life. They said if you'd brought her in even a minute later she would've died."

Beside her, David nodded vehemently. "You saved her life. This is not your fault." With one hand, he hoisted Hook off the floor once more. "C'mon. Whale said we can go see her now."

Hook followed them down the hall, dread pumping through him with every step of the way. Though he knew that Mary Margaret and David had been wrong, that it had in fact been his fault and his fault alone, he did not bother to correct them as he trudged along after them.

As selfish as it was, if they knew the truth they would not allow him anywhere near Henry and Ava. And aside from Emma they were all he had.

**Author's note: So here you go, some flashbacks to hopefully fill in some of the blanks. What did ya think?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Thanks to those who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! Hope y'all enjoy this ch. **

Chapter 3

She was pale. Not to say that she was known for her golden tan, but she was too pale even by her standards. If it wasn't for the constantly beeping heart monitor, it would almost be as though she was merely sleeping.

As Hook sat in the chair, one of her cold hands clutched between his, he was struck by a memory of himself lying in a similar bed in a similar room, Emma leaning over him, uttering threats barely disguised by that cheeky smile of hers. He remembered snarking back at her as he fought against the restraints holding him down. Even then he'd found her charming. Oh, how he wished they could go back to that day.

Mary Margaret and David had gone in first, leaving Hook to relay the events of the past twelve hours to Henry in a low, hollowed, detached voice. The high pitched notes and wavers in the kid's voice was evident of his devastating reaction. Hook couldn't do much more than say that he could go see his mother if he pleased. And then Henry had been too overcome with emotion to continue speaking on the phone any longer, and Regina had picked it up, saying in a crisp voice that she'd bring Henry over in several hours.

The chair was pressed up against the bed as close as possible. There wasn't much he could say; instead, he settled for gripping her hand tightly, burying his face in the rough fabric of the blanket covering her, hoping desperately that he could convey all of his jumbled feelings through his touch. His shoulders began to shake as the tears he'd been holding back for so long finally came.

"Emma, love." He choked, voice muffled by the thick fabric. "I'm so, so sorry…"

* * *

_Eye pressed to the spyglass, smooth metal worn by many years of use, Hook spied Emma, sitting alone on a large rock by the water, long hair blowing violently in the wind. In the distance, the clock struck twelve. Noon._

_Just as he'd expected, Emma was not planning to show up to her lunch date with Neal._

_He closed the spyglass, stowing it in one of the many pockets in his large leather coat. From where he stood on the deck, she wore a conflicted look. Well, if he had anything to do with it, that look would soon be replaced by one of rapt desire for him. Stifling a cheeky grin, he headed down the gangplank of his ship and straight towards her._

_Her posture was rigid and her fingers tapped repeatedly on the rock beside her. She looked up as he approached, her expression one of surprise. "Hook?"_

"_Rather nice day isn't it?" He commented, maneuvering over the jagged rock covered ground._

"_What are you doing here?"_

"_Why, as I said, it's a rather nice day. Just here enjoying the weather." He answered._

_She stared suspiciously at him. "Really."_

"_Really." He sat down on the rock beside her and flashed her a wide smile. Uncapping the flask with his hand, he held it out to her. "Rum?"_

_She rolled her eyes; nonetheless she grabbed it and took a large swig. "Thanks."_

"_Question is, love," He took the flask back and pressed it to his lips, trying to ignore the fact that he was touching where her lips had been just moments ago. "What are you doing here? I know we didn't fight so hard back in that cursed land for you to be sitting out here alone. Shouldn't you be with your family?"_

_Emma shrugged but did not respond._

_Alright, enough beating around the bush. "Aren't you supposed to be at Granny's with Neal?"_

_She blinked at him. "How did you know? Were you eavesdropping?"_

"_I was doing no such thing!" Hook said, visibly affronted. "I just happen to excel at listening in to other people's conversations. Amongst…" He gave her the once over, pressing a finger to his lips. "Other things."_

_Emma rolled her eyes. "That's called eavesdropping, buddy." She snatched the flask out of his hand again and took another sip._

"_Hey, that's mine." He made a swipe for it. "And you didn't answer my question, love. Why are you sitting out here with a pirate with a drinking problem, lovely weather aside, when you should be with the father of your lad? I know I'm devilishly handsome and all, but lunch with Neal should be much more appealing than sitting here alone."_

"_Devilishly handsome, huh?" She said wryly. "You certainly think highly of yourself." She grabbed the flask once more._

_Yet again she'd dodged his question. As much as he was dying to know why she was avoiding Neal (not that he didn't already have a hunch) he wasn't going to push it. They sat in a companionable silence for several moments, hair blowing in the wind as they looked out at the beach._

_And then Emma spoke up. "I don't think I'm ready." She admitted._

_Hook looked over at her. "And why's that?"_

_She shrugged. "Dunno."_

"_Well, I think I know why."_

"_Do you, now?" She raised an eyebrow._

"_He broke your heart." Hook answered simply. "And no matter how hard he tries, he will never be able to make up for it."_

_One look at her and he knew he was spot on correct. Her nails were digging into the palms of her hands as a small, lone tear made its way out of the corner of her eye._

"_Is that selfish of me?" She muttered. "He just wants to give Henry a complete family, and here I am, preventing it from ever happening."_

"_Of course not." Hook protested immediately. Acting purely on instinct, he reached out with his hook, turning her head to face him. His thumb reached out to wipe away her tears. "It's not selfish if you can't forgive him for wronging you in so many ways."_

"_But Mary Margaret and David have done the same. And I've forgiven them!" She argued. "But despite the fact that I still love him, I just can't seem to let everything that happened with Neal go."_

_He bristled at the thought that she still loved the dark one's spawn. "That's perfectly natural." Hook responded. "There are some things we will never be able to let go. For me, it's the death of Milah." He gulped at the sound of her name, the familiar hollow ache spreading throughout inside. But ever since Neverland, the ache had been less painful. "And for you, it's your history with him."_

"_But what about Henry?"_

"_Your lad will be fine. He has three parents who love him, not to mention grandparents and probably the whole rest of this bloody town. He is as irresistible as his mother." Hook couldn't resist throwing in._

"_I guess." Emma still looked unconvinced, completely ignoring his little comment at the end.._

"_I know you just want to do what's best for your son, but if what's best will make you unhappy, then perhaps it's not the best. Henry wouldn't want you to be unhappy."_

_A half smile crept over her face. "How do I know you're not just saying all of this for your own little reasons?"_

"_What reasons?" He asked, mock surprised._

_She gave him a hard look. "You know what I mean."_

"_Well then, love." He stood up. He'd already made significant inroads today and now it was time to go. "I guess you'll just have to see._

* * *

The loud blare of a siren caused Hook to sit up, startled, nearly disturbing the many tubes and wires sticking out of her. He could hear distinct voices coming from the background.

"Male, 35, wounds to the shoulder and head." A voice said. "Found him behind some bushes. Looks as though he was passed out there for several hours until a civilian found him and called 911."

"Get him stabilized." Whale ordered. There were sounds of something being wheeled down the hall towards him. There was a sharp sound as a curtain was drawn around the new patient.

"...'s goin on?" A groggy male voice asked. "Where am I?"

At the sound of the voice, Hook stopped short. No.

"Youre in the hospital, sir." A crisp female voice responded. A nurse, Hook presumed. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Uhhh…" The man muttered. "Attacked."

And then Hook saw red as he bolted out of Emma's room and into the curtained off area where the man was being treated. Before the nurses could stop him, he charged straight for the man lying in the gurney, his hand finding his way around the man's throat, wishing with all his heart that he had both hands.

The better to strangle the man with.

"Attacked?!" Hook spat. "You weren't attacked and you know that, you lying son of a bitch."

Behind him, he could hear nurses screaming for security, but Hook ignored all of them as he concentrated on choking the life out of the man.

"Get..off...me!" The man wheezed. He had a cut on his head and bloody gauze on his shoulder, but his injuries were trivial compared to hers. Nothing, even.

"Not until you pay for what you did." Hook snarled. The man was growing ashen and his eyes were closing; it was evident that he was about to pass out, when someone seized Hook from behind and forcibly dragged him backwards.

"Your wife deserved what she got." The man grinned maniacally as Hook was being dragged away. "I hope she dies."

Hook fought against the burly security guards, yelling obscenities at the man as he found himself traveling down the hallway and into the waiting area. One of the security guards went over to speak to David, who eyed Hook with a mixture of disappointment and disdain.

"This is a warning, sir." One of the security guards said. "You're lucky that the deputy is letting it slide. But attack a patient again and we will be forced to ban you from the grounds."

Hook just spat angrily as he was released, saying nothing.

"What the hell was that?" David crossed his arms. "Attacking another patient?"

"You don't understand." Hook began pacing around the room. "You don't know who he is, what he's done."

"Doesn't matter." David sighed. "Look, I get that you're upset. I really do. But you can't go attacking other patients. I'm serious. If this happens again you won't be able to see Emma." He said firmly.

"I don't care." Hook replied darkly. "That's a fair price to pay if it guarantees his death.

David rubbed the back of his neck. "What's so important about this man? Whatever it is, it can wait."

"No, it can't."

"Why?"

"Because he's the one who shot Emma."

**Author's note: Next ch, we'll find out what exactly happened. Via flashback of course. As always, reviews are appreciated. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: Only 43 days left till new Once episodes! Not that I'm counting or anything...**

Chapter 4

"_Don't be ridiculous, Hook. This is Storybrooke we're talking about. There's no one dangerous."_

"_Wait." Hook said. He couldn't explain it, but there a foreboding feeling of dread building up inside. The only other time he'd had this feeling was right before Rumplestilskin had showed up in his life for the second time. Milah had laughed it away, but look at what had happened._

"_What?" Annoyance flashed across her face as she was stopped for the second time. "What is it?"_

"_I don't think it's such a good idea for you to go out there alone." Hook said apprehensively. "At least let me come with you."_

_Emma rolled her eyes, visibly bristling. "I can take care of myself."_

"_That's not what I mean. I just...I don't have a good feeling about this."_

_Her face hardened. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm the sheriff. I don't need anyone protecting me." And then she was gone, slipping out the door, silent as a ghost._

_Hook sat back on the bed. If only she wasn't so maddeningly independant. He knew that she was more than capable of taking care of herself, but there was that feeling._

_Still. Maybe Emma was right. She was the one with more experience in this world, and if she said it was fine, then it probably was fine._

_Right?_

_He waited, straining to listen for anything. Fortunately, Ava was spending the night at her grandparent's and Henry was at Regina's. Who knew what the intruder wanted?_

_Hook could feel his heart pounding with anticipation. He could hear nothing except for the loud, steady beats of his heart. Nothing. There were no sounds coming from the rest of the house. Absolutely nothing. Was that normal?_

_And then...a soft, girlish gasp. And the unmistakable click of a gun._

_Without thinking, Hook immediately dashed out of the room. The gasp had been Emma's, he was certain of it. She was in trouble. His loud, heavy footsteps thumped down the hallway._

"_Drop the gun." Hook heard Emma say firmly._

"_Come and make me, sheriff." A harsh male voice hissed._

_Hook could see a light emanating from somewhere in the house, illuminating two figures. A pajama clad blonde and a tall, heavyset man._

_Both held guns, aimed straight at each other._

"_What the bloody hell is going on?" Hook stepped into the living room._

_A slow, sickly smile spread across the man's face. "Ah, Killian Jones." He spat. "Come, join the party."_

_Hook blinked. "Who the hell are you?"_

"_What?" The man snarled. "Don't recognize me?"_

_Hook shrugged casually, hoping to hide his quaking nerves. He eyed the gun; having used it before he knew of it's devastating effects. "Can't say that I do."_

"_Many years ago, back in our land. The Brookside Tavern. You stole my wife."_

"_I've stolen many a woman, mate. Just the life of a pirate. I'm afraid you're going to have to be a bit more specific." He drawled, silently hoping to distract the man enough to tackle him. He widened his eyes at Emma, trying to tell her to leave the room, but she shook her head wildly. _

"_No. I'm not leaving you." She hissed stubbornly. _

_The man was still talking. "Tall. Blonde. Looks a hell of a lot like her." The man gestured roughly at Emma, who still held her gun steady, aimed at the man's head._

"_Oh!" Hook snapped his fingers, trying to hide his frustration. "I remember her." _

"_You do now, don't you? You stole my wife from me, drove my family into ruin, and yet you show no remorse."_

"_I think you drove yourself into ruin." Hook commented; the air smelled of booze and it was clear that this man was wasted._

"_You think you're so funny, don't you?" The man said, circling around the living room. The gun now dangled loosely by his side, and Hook began silently calculating how long it would take for him to tackle the man and take his gun. He turned back swiftly, sending a fleeting look into Emma's eyes, silently communicating to be ready to overpower the intruder. She gave a tiny nod._

"_I do, actually." Hook responded._

"_You sick bastard." In a fluid motion, the man stepped forward and seized Hook by his collar._

"_If you're hoping to offend me, you're going to have to do better than that."_

"_Oh, I will." The man responded. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did. I'm going to take away everything that you hold dear." He released Hook and turned towards Emma, aiming the gun at her._

"_Over my dead body." Hook stepped automatically in front of her._

_The man shrugged. "Well, if that's what it takes."_

_Three things happened simultaneously._

_The man pulled his trigger, sending a bullet flying towards Hook's head._

_Emma ducked around Hook, sending a bullet at the man._

_And she shoved Hook aside, bearing the full brunt of the man's actions._

* * *

"So let me get this straight." David said. "You slept with his wife and he came back for revenge."

"Aye." Hook responded wearily.

"I can't believe this." David shook his head. "My daughter is lying in there and she might not wake all because you decided to steal someone's wife!"

"Aye."

"This is all your fault." David lunged at Hook, grabbing him by the collar much like the man had done. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted you. Pirate."

"David, enough." Mary Margaret gripped her husband's sleeve firmly. "This is not Hook's fault. He can't be held responsible for something that happened so long ago. He couldn't have known what would happen."

"But it is my fault." Hook slumped. "The bullet had been meant for me. She pushed me aside. I should be the one lying in there right now!" He said roughly.

"Agreed." David shot back.

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes, placing a gentle hand on Hook's shoulder. "This is not your fault." She said firmly.

But Hook knew that regardless of what she said, it was his fault.

* * *

_It was amazing how much paperwork there was to catch up on from their time in Neverland. It was as if people thought that once the sheriff, deputy, and mayor were gone they were free to wreak havoc on the town. In the little over a week they were in that cursed land. Freaking unbelievable._

_So Emma and David spent most of their day catching up on paperwork, something neither of them particularly enjoyed doing. Due to the little concentration it required, it gave Emma's mind plenty of time to wander._

_True to his word, Neal was leaving her alone after she'd blown off their lunch date yesterday. It saddened her to think of him alone, gazing out the window in hopes that she'd show up. It was rather cruel, yes; she'd had every intention of showing up to at least give him a chance. He'd been so earnest in Neverland and she truly wanted to give Henry a complete family. But as the clock ticked closer to noon, she just...couldn't. The very idea made her hyperventilate._

_Maybe it was for the best that she hadn't shown up. This had probably been her mind's way of telling her that things with Neal were over. That it would be for the best to just let it go. Hook had a point when he said that Henry wouldn't want her to be unhappy, and if she forced herself to be Neal she'd probably just be miserable._

_That led her to the next thing. Hook. He'd been a surprisingly good listener on the beach. However, she couldn't help but think that maybe he had an ulterior motive. He'd made his feelings for her clear in Neverland. Maybe he was just acting on them now._

_Ugh. This is why she steered clear from men. They were good for nothing except for a way to take her mind off of things. Emma Swan did not do relationships._

_Then why did her mind keep wandering to Hook?_

_Around five, Emma and David decided to call it a day and head back to the apartment. They'd gotten most of the paperwork done and both were showing signs of edginess and irritation. It seemed as though father and daughter were more similar than they'd realized._

"_God. I'm starving." Emma commented as she dug around in her ridiculously disorganized bag for her keys._

"_To no one's surprise." David chuckled. "You're always hungry." He sidestepped her and shoved his own key in the lock. "By the time you find yours it'll be time for bed."_

"_Funny." Emma quipped. They pushed open the door, sniffing at the delicious aroma. "Mmm. Spaghetti night." She threw her coat over the back of the couch. And then stopped, causing David to walk right into her._

"_Hook?"_

_Sure enough the pirate was standing at the counter next to Mary Margaret, mixing salad in a round bowl as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Henry was seated at the kitchen table, playing a handheld video game._

"_What are you doing here?" She asked._

"_What does it look like?" He responded, holding up a wooden spoon. "Helping prepare a delicious meal."_

"_Yes, I know." Emma snapped. "But what are you doing here?"_

"_I invited him." Mary Margaret responded from the stove, where she was mixing a large pot of what Emma took to be spaghetti sauce._

"_What?" Emma and David said at the same time._

"_I'm offended." Hook commented. "I thought I was growing on you."_

_They ignored him._

"_He looked so lonely and we have so much food." Mary Margaret responded. "Poor thing hasn't had a home cooked meal in years."_

_Emma squinted suspiciously at her mother. She could swear there was a playful glint in the woman's eyes. "So?"_

"_He helped us so much in Neverland the least we could do is feed him dinner." Mary Margaret said._

"_Plus he tells good stories." Henry piped up cheerily. He wore the same amused expression as Mary Margaret._

"_It's just dinner, Emma." David added._

"_What?" She wheeled around and gaped at her father. "You're ok with this?"_

_David shrugged innocently. "Sure."_

"_Don't worry. You'll find that I make quite the lovely company." Hook quipped._

_Outnumbered. She was hopelessly outnumbered. "Whatever." Emma said, uncharacteristically flustered. She grabbed a pile of silverware out of the drawer. Dinner with Captain Innuendo was not going to be pleasant._

_But despite her earlier reservations, dinner was admittedly not so bad. As Henry had said, Hook did have plenty of pretty entertaining stories, stories that they were all soon laughing at. Maybe it was the wine talking, but overall it was actually...kind of fun._

_Henry had brought up the topic of the original Captain Hook, so naturally after dinner they had to watch Peter Pan._

"_I bet this Captain Hook doesn't do me justice." Hook said as he settled on the couch._

"_Oh, it doesn't." Emma said dryly as she brought over a large bowl of popcorn. Uh oh. The only free seat was the one right next to Hook. He must've known this, for he looked up and smirked at her._

"_I don't bite." He said._

"_Sure." Emma replied, squeezing herself onto the square of cushion. She pressed herself as far against the armrest as possible, trying to ignore the fact that they were about a millimeter apart. She tried to focus on the movie and the fact that soon Hook's little smirk would be gone._

_A little while later, the first complaint was heard. Rather loudly too. "BLOODY HELL!" He shouted. "Is that...me?"_

"_Yep!" Henry said cheerily. "That's you."_

"_You have got to be kidding me." A look of barely disguised horror crossed his face as he watched his Disney counterpart strut about on the screen. "That's not me. I refuse to believe it. No." He shook his head stubbornly._

"_Oh, that's you all right." Emma chuckled. "Waxed mustache, perm, and all."_

_As the movie went on, Hook grew more and more enraged. "Crocodile? He's an actual bloody crocodile? And me? Afraid of him? Never!"_

_Emma gradually became aware of the fact that they were sitting closer and closer. She could practically feel the warmth radiating off him and it seemed as though he was scooting closer and closer towards her, something that she decided was due to the small couch._

"_That was rather entertaining." David said, standing up to stretch once the movie was over._

_Mary Margaret reached over to grab the empty bowl of popcorn, spying the clock as she did so. "Wow it's pretty late. Bedtime, Henry."_

"_Alright." The kid pouted as he scooted off the couch. "Good night."_

"_Well, I give you my utmost gratitude for dinner." Hook said, standing up as well. "Movie aside, it was a rather pleasant evening. I should be heading back to the ship now."_

"_I'll drive you." Emma blurted, surprising even herself as everyone turned to look at her. "What?" She said defensively. She could feel her cheeks growing hot. "It's late."_

_Mercifully, he remained silent until they reached the docks where his ship was. "Quite the vessel you captain there, Swan." Hook commented as he opened the door and stepped outside._

"_Thanks." Emma responded, exiting the car as well._

"_I told you love," He crossed over to her side. "I make good company."_

"_You planned it, didn't you?" She realized. "To be invited over for dinner."_

"_If by planned you mean just happening to show up where I knew your mother would be buying food, then yes I most certainly did."_

"_Wow. That desperate for Mary Margaret's spaghetti?"_

"_Among other things." He licked his lips lasciviously, giving her a quick once over._

_Before she knew what was happening, his face was suddenly close to hers. Too close. He was leaning closer and closer, and his lips would've touched down upon hers if she hadn't turned her face away a the last minute._

"_Hook…" She sighed. "I can't. I'm sorry." She was startled to find that she actually meant it._

"_You did before. And as I recall you were quite into it."_

"_That's different. That was before...well everything that happened._

"_You mean realizing how I felt about you." Hook confirmed. "Emma, love. You've had your heart broken more times than I care to count. You've known nothing except people leaving you. But what you don't know is that I'm in it for the long haul. "_

_She said nothing, staring up at him with those wide eyes of hers._

"_I will fight against your walls until they are reduced to dust. No matter what you do to repel me, I will still be here. I will do whatever it takes to win your heart."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because." He stepped closer once more, sensing that her defenses were down, at least momentarily. "I love you."_

_The air between them was charged, and as Emma stared at him, her eyes lingering on his lips, she remembered the feeling of those lips against hers. And how good it'd felt and how hard she'd had to force herself to push him away._

_Hadn't he risked his life to save Henry? Hadn't he proved time and time again that he was more than just a pirate? Hadn't he proved himself worthy?_

_Maybe it was time to take a chance._

_And surprising herself for the third time that night, she stood up on tiptoes and kissed him._

* * *

Nighttime came and Hook found himself once again at her bedside, her hand clutched in his as he silently willed her to wake._ Please, Emma. Please wake up. If not for me, for Ava and Henry. They need you. I need you._

Soon it would be twenty four hours after she was out of surgery. Twenty four hours that she hadn't awoken. With every passing second, the chance that she would wake grew more and more slim.

Hook rested his head against the cool cotton of her pillow, the top of his head coming into contact with the soft strands of her hair. His body was beyond exhausted but his mind was racing; there would be no sleep until Emma woke up.

Behind him, Mary Margaret and David snoozed lightly in matching armchairs, hands still clutched tightly together. Visiting hours had come and gone, but no one had the heart to kick out the town's most well known family out of the hospital.

Despite his thoughts, Hook finally found himself nodding off, head still resting on her pillow. His back was going to kill him tomorrow, but he was unable to let go of her hand. Suddenly, there was a light movement. Startled, Hook sat up, wincing at the kinks in his back as he did so. He looked down to see Emma's fingers fluttering ever so slightly.

She was waking up.

"Mary Margaret. David." He called out. "I think Emma's waking up."

There was a low moan as her eyelids fluttered.

"Swan." He said. "Can you hear me?" He laughed nervously as she breathed in shakilly.

Her brows furrowed as she fought against unconsciousness. And then she opened her mouth to speak the three most horrible words Hook had ever heard.

"Who are you?"

**Author's note: Well, well, well. Looks like something went wrong. Hope you enjoyed the longer ch!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_Pounding. Her head was pounding. Why wouldn't the pounding stop?_

_A strange man was in front of her, his hand pressed to his right shoulder . When his hand came away smeared with blood, he cursed loudly. "You bitch!" He crowed, stumbling backwards. His ankle twisted on the rug and he fell out of view with a loud thump._

_Bitch. Had she done that? For the first time, she noticed that there was a gun dangling loosely from her hand. It hit the ground with a loud clang as suddenly, her arms gave out._

_And then she stumbled backwards. Fire. Fire was building in her chest. She was in pain. Awful, mind numbing pain. Suddenly unable to hold herself up, she swayed and fell backwards into a sturdy pair of arms._

_"No, no, no." An accented male voice said desperately as she was lowered to the ground. Her head was cradled in the voice's owner's lap, arms splayed out across the carpet. There was a strange pressure on her chest. A moment later she realized it was someone's hand. The hand's owner cursed when it came back a dark red._

_She was getting sleepy. And the fire in her chest was intensifying. Blood. There was blood staining the front of her gray pajama top. Was that her blood?_

_"Emma, love." The same accented voice shouted frantically. A hand slapped at her cheeks. "You have to keep them open!"_

_She hadn't even realized her eyes were closed. With difficulty, she pried them open, immediately regretting it. The room was beginning to spin._

_It was getting harder to breathe._

_"Swan!" The man cried. His face, a mask of and concern and desperation, appeared above hers. Dimly she noted that he was incredibly good looking. "Stay with me." He pleaded._

_Who was he?_

_"Stay with me, love. You're gonna be ok, I promise."_

_The room was growing faint, the man's voice sounding as though it was very far away._

_She wanted to cry out and demand answers but couldn't speak, continuing to stare blankly up at him. The only sound that she was capable of making was a faint whimper._

_So this was what dying felt like._

_She barely noticed the look of anguish on the man's face as all went black._

* * *

A strange, dark haired man was staring down at her. "You're joking, right?" He chuckled nervously.

Emma blinked up at him. "No." She choked. Her voice was hoarse. What the hell was going on? For the first time, she took in her strange surroundings, noticed the constant, irritating beeping at her side. She was sore. No, even worse. Her chest _killed_; even the slightest movement brought tears to her eyes. She had absolutely no recollection of what had happened. There was a tube sticking out of her nose and something pinching at her, and she looked down to see an IV poking out from the crook of her arm.

Hospital. She was in the hospital, something she unfortunately had too much experience with. But why?

The man was watching her with tears in his eyes. He was looking at her with such an intense expression of longing that it was starting to creep her out. Who was he?

"Emma." The man said urgently, reaching down to cup her face. She shuddered automatically and he recoiled as if burned. "Do you really not remember me, love?"

"No!" Emma coughed. "Who are you?" And why he was he calling her "love"?

The man opened his mouth, but then someone pushed him aside. "Emma! You're awake!"

Emma breathed a shaky sigh of relief when her roommate came into view, a watery smile etched on her face. Finally, someone she recognized. She couldn't help but feel herself calm down at the sight of her friend. Maybe she'd start getting some answers now. "Who's…" She started asking, but her roommate cut her off.

"Oh, Emma! I'm so glad you're awake." Mary Margaret reached down and hugged her, her body shaking with sobs. Emma noticed that her friend's clothes were wrinkled and there was even a small stain on the collar of her shirt, something the normally impeccable Mary Margaret would not tolerate. She blinked, touched. Clearly, Mary Margaret had been worried about her, staying in the hospital day and night.

"Oh. Um." Emma said, unused to her show of affection. They were good friends, but not _that _great. "It's ok. I'm ok." Still, it was nice to have someone care for her, so she let her overly emotional roommate hug her tightly. She patted her on the back awkwardly.

In the background, she could hear the strange dark haired man saying something about memory loss. What was all that about? He placed a hand on Mary Margaret's shoulder, obviously attempting to get her attention, but the brunette shook him off as she carefully helped Emma sit up, gently sliding a hand on her back.

"We were so worried!" Mary Margaret sobbed as she sat on the foot of her bed, a hand reaching out to brush through Emma's tangled hair.

By we, Emma figured she'd meant herself and Henry. Certainly not Regina, who was probably counting on the fact that Emma would die. The rest of the town, maybe but probably not. Still, two people worrying about her was two more than she'd ever had.

But then, David Nolan came into view. He wore a similar expression as Mary Margaret and strangely enough his appearance was just as disheveled.

"What the hell are _you _doing here?" Emma rasped.

Mary Margaret pulled back from her, confusion etching across her face. "Who are you talking to?"

"Him." Emma raised a shaky hand. "David. The man who screwed you over time and time again."

Mary Margaret looked back, David's expression mirroring her own. "What? That's no one to talk to him. Why wouldn't he be here, Emma? He's your fa..."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you." The strange dark haired man said loudly. "She's lost her memory."

_Memory? _Emma wondered. _What the hell was he on? _

She ignored him, turning to Mary Margaret. "Don't tell me you two are back together." Emma groaned. "I swear, there are so many better men out there. Not that I'm one to talk about relationships, but you have got to move on from him!" She blinked at the strange expression on her roommate's face. "What? I know it's harsh but it's the truth."

"Hook, what were you saying about memory loss?" David turned to the dark haired man. Hook. Was that the guy's name? Huh. Strange. Maybe Henry's fairy tale theory held some water after all.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Mary Margaret looked at Emma.

"I don't know." Emma answered. "I think I was packing…?" That answer didn't seem quite right, but as she said it her mind slowly filled with fuzzy images of her two suitcases filled with her all of her admittedly few worldly possessions.

"Wait." David pushed past Mary Margaret. "What?"

"Packing for what?" Mary Margaret asked.

"I was gonna leave Storybrooke." She said sheepishly. "Sorry. I was gonna leave a note. So are you gonna tell me what the hell happened? Why am I here and why do I feel like I've been run over by a truck?"

"So you don't know him?" Mary Margaret gestured at the man. Hook.

"No. I've been trying to tell you. I have no idea who he is. Or what David's doing here." She wrinkled her nose.

"And the last thing that happened was...packing." Mary Margaret said slowly.

"Yes." Emma responded. It was the last thing she remembered, so it _had _to be right.

Right?

"Didn't that happen over two years…" Hook started, but David elbowed him in the ribs, effectively shushing him.

"Get Whale." David muttered to Hook. "I think you may be right."

**Author's note: So yeah, the last thing Emma remembers is packing to leave Storybrooke, which happened before Henry ate the turnover in season 1. What do you think is gonna happen next? **


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: A little over 2 wks till new Once episodes. March needs to come faster. **

Chapter 6

"She doesn't remember anything beyond packing to leave Storybrooke." Mary Margaret confirmed as she exited Emma's room, her face a mask of worry. "Right before Henry ate the turnover and she believed in the curse."

"So she doesn't have any memories of the past three years?" David turned to look at his wife. "The curse breaking, Neverland, us?

Mary Margaret shook her head slowly. "No."

Hook cursed loudly. "So she doesn't remember Ava? Or…" His voice cracked.

"She has no idea who you are." Mary Margaret said softly. "I'm sorry."

David turned to Whale. "Memory loss? Is this possible?"

"Evidently." Whale responded. "It's rare, but it's possible." He sighed. "When the brain is deprived of oxygen for a certain amount of time, there are side effects. Memory loss is one of them." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"So what do we do?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Well, I can run more tests but I'm certain they will come back inconclusive. There's really nothing we can do except wait for her to regain her memories. "

"How long does that take?"

"It's unclear." Whale answered. "It can takes days, months, or even years."

"You're kidding." David boomed, banging on the wall next to him. "Years?!"

"I'm sorry." Whale said.

"What can we do?" Hook piped in. "To help her?"

"For now? Try your best to jog her memory but do not push her. I cannot stress this enough. From what I know, Emma is stubborn. She will not believe that she's lost her memory. If you put too much pressure on her it could only cause more problems. Go along with what she says while trying to help her remember."

* * *

_Freshly out of the shower, Emma padded into her room, hair twisted up in a large towel, a similar colored one around her body as she perused her closet, one hand tapping her chin, a silent internal debate raging on inside as to what to wear._

_Date. Emma Swan was about to go out on an actual date, her first real one in so many years, one that did not involve chasing down criminals. _

_So it came to no one's surprise that she was nervous. Actual nervous, complete with heart pounding and sweaty palms. _

_She'd spent a ridiculously long time in the bathroom, so long that Henry had given up knocking on the door and just decided to go at the park. It was so unlike her, obsessing over eye shadow colors and various lip glosses. Usually she just grabbed the first thing she found and slapped it on. _

_But then again there was nothing normal about this night. Hook had called two nights ago, simply stating that he'd pick her up at 7. How he'd obtained her number, let alone learned to use a phone, she had no idea. _

_Emma thumbed through her closet, growing more and more frustrated as she did so. As exciting as a surprise was, it was difficult outfit wise. Should she go with casual, her usual jeans and leather jacket? Or pull out all the stops and do formal? _

_In the end, she settled on closing her eyes and picking whatever her hand landed on first. Which happened to be...the pink dress she'd worn on the night her life changed forever. The night she met Henry. _

_Oh, the irony of ironies. This was the dress she usually wore to her fake dates. And now she was planning to wear it on an actual date. _

_Oh well. Emma shrugged as she pulled it off the hanger. Maybe it was time to make some new memories with this dress. _

_There was a knock on the door. It was showtime. Pulling on a pair of chunky black heels, she exited her room, fastening a pair of hoop earrings on the way out._

_"Hey." She said breathlessly as she swung the door open. She was momentarily flustered at the site of Hook. He was plenty attractive in his usual leather garb. And there was little to nothing that fazed Emma. But in a dress shirt and tie, even she was rendered speechless. Only for a moment of course. "You look... nice."_

_"Ah, just nice?" He teased. "And here I spent a good part of my day obtaining clothing suitable for your land." _

_"Really?" She raised an eyebrow. "How?" In her mind she pictured him shopping at Macy's, wrinkling his nose at clothes while making sarcastic comments, and she had to stifle a giggle. _

_"Let's just say your lad knows a lot more about clothing than one would originally imagine." Hook answered smoothly. _

_"Henry?" Really? But then again it didn't surprise her. Ever since they got back, he'd been all about Hook, talking about the pirate like he was the best thing since sliced bread. _

_"Aye." He held his arm out. "Shall we?"_

_Emma looped her arm through his, a feeling of excitement and anticipation spreading inside. Tonight was going to be a night she'd never forget; she was sure of it._

* * *

Beautiful. She was so beautiful when she was sleeping. Her light hair fanned out over the pillow, head turned to the side as her chest rose and fell rhythmically. Her expression was a bit more troubled than Hook liked, but he attributed that to the pain she was undoubtedly in. He thought vaguely that if only he'd somehow prevented her from taking the bullet meant for him, she wouldn't be in this position right now.

"Oh, Swan." He sighed. Why did she have to be so stubborn, so self sacrificing? Didn't she see that her life was worth ten of his?

He had no idea if this would work. Theoretically, it should, since they were each other's true loves. Hook felt ridiculous about what he was about to do, but he was desperate. He needed her to remember, not just for him, but for their daughter. There was no way he could just sit by idly and wait for her memories to return. No way he could live without her.

He tiptoed into her room towards her sleeping figure, being sure to keep quiet, though there really wasn't any point since she was still pretty heavily sedated. Slowly, he placed his hand on the side of her pillow for support and leaned down until his face was inches from hers, lightly touching his lips against hers, reveling in her scent, which despite the antiseptic hospital odor permeating the air, still lingered on her.

He wasn't sure what he expected would happen. It wasn't like he was attempting to wake her up like her father had awoken her mother, or like how she'd awoken Henry and broken the curse. Maybe a flash of light?

What he hadn't been expecting was for her to start, plain shock and disgust written on her face as her eyes fluttered open. "What…" She blinked blearily at him as she took in the dark figure looming over her, partially shrouded by the dimness of the room. "What are you doing?" Confusion was laced through her sleepy voice.

Hook backed up in surprise; he'd foolishly believed that the sedatives would be enough to keep her from waking up and panicking. Disappointment flared, forming a hard pit in his stomach. It hadn't worked. Judging by the hard look in her eyes, she still had no idea who he was.

_No. I can't just give up. _Maybe he hadn't kissed her hard enough. On impulse, Hook lunged straight at her and pressed his lips firmly against hers.

"Mmmph!" Emma squirmed underneath him, violently twisting her body in all different directions in an attempt to separate herself from him. "MMMPH!" Her fists beat against him, but still he remained frozen, his lips planted against hers, pinning her down with his body despite her protests in desperate hopes that this would work, that she'd miraculously remember, that their love would be enough to retrieve her memories.

Somehow, Emma wrenched herself away, gaping up at him. "What the _hell _was that!?" She screeched, a note of terror in her voice as she perused him. As she tried to sit up, her arms immediately clutched around her chest. She bit back a scream; it felt as though her chest was being ripped open by a pack of vicious beasts with sharp claws.

Blood rushed through his ears as he took in her pained expression. She brought her hand to her chest and her eyes widened as it came back bloody.

"What is it?" He asked urgently. "What's wrong?" He reached a hand out to examine, to help, but it was immediately slapped away.

"Stop!" She snapped, backing up. "What do you think you're doing?"

He cringed at her horrified expression and the pain in her eyes, the pain that _he _should be experiencing, not her. "You're bleeding, love." With his hook he indicated at the red staining the front of her shirt. "Let me see."

"STOP! I don't even know you!" Emma protested as he fought against her, attempting to pull back the collar of her shirt. Normally she probably would've been able to fight him off but in her drugged, weakened state he almost immediately overpowered her.

"Emma I'm trying to help you," He tried to explain, but Emma wasn't listening as she fought against him once more, kicking her legs and yelling incoherently and calling him things that even he, a pirate, cringed at.

"YOU DIRTY PERVERT!" She shrieked. "LET ME GO! GET OFF!"

Suddenly, she brought her knee up between his legs. At the same time, Mary Margaret rushed in, closely followed by David and a couple security guards.

"What is going on here?" David demanded as he burst into the room. His eyes widened as he took in Hook, who towered over Emma, one hand on the collar of her shirt. The blankets were a tangled mess around her; she was pressed up against the railing on the side of the bed.

"All right, that's it. We warned you last time, buddy." The two security guards each grabbed Hook, effectively pulling him off of Emma. "This is the second time you've assaulted a patient." They hauled him towards the door, closely followed by David, who gave Mary Margaret a look that Emma couldn't exactly read.

Mary Margaret turned her attention to Emma. "Oh my God, you're bleeding." She noticed for the first time.

"I think I pulled my stitches." Emma grimaced, looking up at Mary Margaret. _Trying to get away from the creep._

As Emma watched Hook leave, she couldn't help but be deeply struck by the haunted look of defeat in his hollowed blue eyes.

Only question was, why did she care?

**Author's note: Hmm. True Love's Kiss didn't work. What's gonna happen now?**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Ow." Emma hissed as a nurse used a pad of gauze to dab at the blood seeping out from her wound. "Son of a bitch."

Mary Margaret, who had insisted on staying in the room despite the nurse's protests, shot her a look of commiseration. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Emma muttered. "It's not like it's your fault that I pulled my stitches trying to get away from some perverted stranger."

Mary Margaret winced at Emma's choice of words. If only she knew the truth. "That's a little harsh, don't you think?"

"No." Came the blunt reply. "I mean, this total stranger walks in and kisses me. _Kisses _me, of all things. That's just fucked up. I'd arrest him myself, but." She gestured wildly at herself. "Can't exactly do that now can I?"

"Well maybe he had a good reason for doing so?" Mary Margaret suggested, her voice rising in pitch, the same way it did when she was trying to hide something.

Luckily, Emma didn't notice. "Unless that reason is a penchant for assaulting sleeping hospital patients, I don't think so." She replied darkly. "I know people like that. Hell, I've dealt with them. They only want one thing." She shot Mary Margaret an expectant look.

Mary Margaret wanted to argue that Hook was nothing like the ogres she'd dealt with, but she knew full well that Emma wouldn't listen. And why would she anyway; her one real encounter of him had been downright terrifying.

"Ok, this is gonna sting a little." The nurse said as she held up a gauze pad soaked with disinfectant.

"Damn right." Emma flinched as the gauze hit her wound. Across the room, Mary Margaret winced at the barely disguised look of pain on her daughters face. Oh, how she wished she could be holding Emma's hand right now, instead of merely watching ten feet away. She'd had to practically fight tooth and nail to be allowed to stay in the room, as the maddeningly independant Emma no longer remembered who she truly was. Mary Margaret was all for True Love's Kiss and all (at least that's what she assumed Hook had been trying to do), but she was going to _kill _the pirate when she saw him next. That is, if David hadn't already done so.

"Done." Said the nurse brightly as she began to clean up. "Try to be more careful next time; every time you rip out a stitch it delays the healing process."

Emma nodded at the nurse as she left the room; at least this one was nicer than many of the ones she'd encountered during her numerous hospital stays as a kid.

"I'm just saying, you shouldn't be so quick to judge." Mary Margaret said as she sat down on the chair next to bed. "You never know who he is or what he's been through."

"Bullshit." Emma shot back. "I wouldn't call this being quick. Look, I know you like to see the good in people but trust me there's nothing good about him. You should stay away from him too; next thing you know he'll come after you." Emma said as she adjusted her top. "I swear, if I ever see him again he'll regret the day he ever stepped foot into my room." She started flipping through the blankets. "Where's that damn remote?" She muttered. As usual, she completely missed the remote sitting on the side table.

Mary Margaret forced herself to smile, despite the mounting sadness inside. "Something tells me you won't be seeing him anymore." She handed Emma the remote, feeling for a moment as though nothing had changed as her daughter's eyes lit up at the prospect of TV. Typical Emma.

"Good." Emma said firmly, flickering on the TV, mind already turned to idly surfing through the hospital's surprising number of channels.

"Yeah." Mary Margaret said quietly. "Good."

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking?" David demanded as he faced the pirate. They were in the parking lot, where the security guards had not so gently deposited Hook on the hard concrete. Although he'd greatly helped in Neverland and had been spending every moment after that proving that he was more than a pirate, not everybody in Storybrooke fully accepted him.

"I…" For once, he was at a loss for words. How could he explain what he'd been trying to do?

"Because of you, Emma ripped her stitches." David growled, grabbing Hook's collar and pulling him up in close. The two were practically nose to nose. "You are no longer allowed anywhere near her and I will see to it that you obey."

"You can't do that." Hook challenged. "She's my wife…"

David cut him off. "And I'm her father. And a cop. Don't forget that I may have forgiven you for allowing all of this to happen, but I can just as easily cart you off to rot in jail." David glared at him for a long moment before finally releasing him. "You better watch your step, _pirate._ One more wrong move and you'll regret the day you ever laid eyes on my daughter."

"Aye." Hook sighed. Normally he would've fought back, but what was the point? He deserved this and more. He knew without a doubt that David was being serious. He'd caused Emma enough pain already; he didn't think he'd be able to get that terrified look out of his mind.

"What were you even thinking?!" David repeated, pacing angrily around the thankfully empty parking lot. "Sneaking into her room while she was sleeping? What did you think would happen?"

"I...I thought it would work." Hook looked down, scratching awkwardly at the back of his neck.

"Thought _what _would work?" David spat. And then he realized. "Oh. True Love's Kiss. You thought it'd help her regain her memories."

"Aye."

Suddenly, David laughed mirthlessly, causing Hook to look up in surprise. "I guess I should've known. I tried it myself before as well." He shook his head, a few more notes of laughter escaping. "It doesn't work if they've lost their memories."

"I think I figured that out, thanks." Hook replied, a touch of his usual sarcasm in his voice. "It would've been helpful if you'd thought to inform me of this crucial detail, mate." But on the inside he was secretly relieved. At least now he knew it hadn't worked not because she didn't truly love him, but because she'd lost her memories.

"True." David responded. "Look." He said, seemingly softening. "I get that you're upset. Believe me, I do. My own daughter doesn't remember me." His voice cracked. "I'm her father, yet she thinks of me as some strange man who broke her friend's heart. Everything we've been through, all the progress we've made, all of my best efforts, they have all been erased. But I'm not going to charge into Emma's room and force her to remember. As much as it breaks my heart, I'm going to stay away because that's what's best for her right now. And if I can do it, so can you."

* * *

Hook paused outside of Emma's room later that night. Though David had made it clear that he was not to go inside, even going as far as to place around the clock security guards outside the door (a bit overkill, in Hook's perspective), the guards were noticeably absent. Probably due to the fact that it was the middle of the night.

He'd been on his way home; early the next morning he needed to go pick up Ava, who had been staying with Ruby and Granny ever since the...incident. And when Ruby had stopped by earlier to visit Emma, she'd mentioned to Mary Margaret that Ava was growing anxious to go home. Apparently she'd also sensed that something was wrong, for she was becoming more and more fussy. But part of him didn't want to pick her up, only to be faced with her inevitable questions. 2 year old Ava clearly had her mother's intuition and would immediately want to know where Emma was.

Hook knew he needed to go home, take a shower, and go to bed. He hadn't done either of those things since Emma had arrived at the hospital, as they fell far down on his list of priorities. In fact, he hadn't even left the hospital. But the last thing he wanted was to go back home. Where he would inevitably relive the horrible events until it drove him crazy or he drank himself into a stupor. Whichever came first. And most of all, he couldn't bear to leave Emma as she lay vulnerable in the hospital. He now owed it to her more than ever to protect her.

But Ava, their _daughter_, needed him. Hook knew that if Emma hadn't lost her memories, she'd be practically shoving him out the door with a pitchfork. Ever since Ava was born, she and Henry had always been Emma's top priorities. So it went without saying that she'd be beyond furious if she found out she stood between him comforting their daughter. Henry had Regina but all Ava had now was him. And she needed her father.

Hook couldn't bring himself to leave without checking in on her. Though his rational side told him that she was fine, that she had her parents and the doctors taking care of her, something inside was telling him to go in.

_Just a little peek and then I'm going to go. _He told himself as he checked both sides of the empty corridor before sliding open the door and slipping soundlessly inside the darkened room.

Just like before, she was lying flat on her back, head tilted to side as her chest rose and fell lightly with every breath. The room was filled with the soft sounds of her snoring, something that had greatly annoyed him at first but was now one of her many endearing qualities. In fact, he found that he could no longer fall asleep without her snoring in his ear. In the darkness, she appeared to be deeply asleep. Not a sign of anything wrong.

_She's fine. _A voice said inside. _Just as expected._ Satisfied, Hook turned to go, hand curling over the door.

And then he heard it: a soft, pained whimper. So soft Hook thought it might be his ears playing tricks on him. It _was _late and he hadn't slept properly in days. He stopped short, listening carefully. But there was it again. A tiny, unmistakable, heartbreaking whimper that was clearly coming from her.

Hook immediately stepped back to the bed and closely surveyed her. Upon closer inspection she no longer appeared to be calmly sleeping. Her brow was furrowed and he could hear short, rapid breaths as she squirmed under the thick blankets. All that coupled with increasing whimpers told him that she was having a nightmare.

This sight and the sound of her suffering hit him right in the gut. She was hurting, probably reliving the worst moments of her life. While she had the occasional nightmare, usually when sick, it was nowhere as bad as this.

"Emma." He whispered into the darkness. "Wake up."

She gave no indication of having heard him. If anything, the whimpers just grew louder.

"Wake up." He said as loud as he dared. He cast a quick glance at the door. If the security guards came back they'd inevitably see him and he'd be dragged out, unable to help. "Swan."

Tears began to leak out of the corner of her eyes as she started to mutter. "No. I can't be a mother."

A note of desperation crept into his voice as his heart broke. "Wake up." This was a particular recurring nightmare of hers, being forced to give up Henry. Clearly the birth of her second child hadn't helped to heal this wound.

It occurred to him that perhaps the painkillers were making it hard for her to wake up. But he couldn't just leave her trapped in a cloud of misery.

Security guards be damned, Hook did the only thing he could think of to do. Cautiously, he reached out a hand to cup her cheek which he noted was damp with tears. Almost instantly, Emma stopped squirming.

_She was subconsciously reacting to his touch._

The room seemed to quiet as her whimpers gradually subsided. With his Hook, he lifted sweaty strands of hair out of her face as he ran his thumb over her cheek. "It's ok, love. Everything's ok." He said with a gentleness he didn't even know he possessed.

Her face began to relax as she turned her cheek, leaning even further into his touch. "Killian." She murmured as she nestled her face against his heavily calloused palm.

Hook froze. Had he heard correctly? Had she just muttered his name? Clearly, on some deep level she still remembered him. Still responded to his touch and voice. He was still able to comfort her. Hope flooded through his chest; maybe all hope was not lost.

He waited until her face grew serene and she was entirely quiet before slowly removing his hand. He leaned down and brushed his lips gently against her forehead before slipping back outside, a small smile spreading across his face despite himself.

**Author's note: Next ch we'll meet Ava. **


End file.
